What is Client-Side Rendering?
This explanation is written by ChatGPT and not authored (yet).
Client-side Rendering (CSR) is a web development technique where web content is generated primarily in the user's browser.
How does Client-side Rendering work?
When a user visits a CSR-based website, their browser downloads a minimal HTML page and JavaScript files. The JavaScript runs in the browser to dynamically generate the website's content.
Just like an SPA, follow-up pagehits are then done via JavaScript as well. Such navigation is then called a soft navigation.
Advantages of Client-side Rendering
- Interactive and responsive web pages.
- Content can be updated instantly without a full page reload.
Potential drawbacks of Client-side Rendering
- Slower initial page load times.
- May not be as search engine friendly, as content is generated after the page loads.
Core Web Vitals and Client-Side Rendering
Due to its soft-navigation character, a site that uses Client-side Rendering for succesive page navigations has the same nuances as a Single Page Application when it comes to Core Web Vitals data.